Can You Cook Marie Callender's Pot Pies In The Air Fryer?

Air fryers are superb for making small items like crispy chicken wings, home fries, and barbecue ribs but you might be missing a trick if you aren't utilizing them for larger bakes, like pastries and pies. Because yes, you can cook a whole Marie Callender's pot pie in the air fryer quite successfully as long as you slightly reduce the temperature and bake for a shorter period.

To guarantee that your pie heats through safely and develops a crispy, buttery crust, preheat your appliance first. In the same way that preheating your oven is such an important cooking step, the same goes for air fryers (after all they are essentially smaller versions of convection ovens so many of the same rules apply). Placing your pie in a hot air fryer gives it an initial boost of heat, which encourages steam to be produced inside the pastry, causing it to puff up and rise.

According to the packet instructions, Marie Callender's chicken pot pie is baked at 400 degrees for one hour, whereas the chicken pot pie made with a cauliflower crust is ready in 55 minutes. As air fryers can cook food up to 20% faster than a conventional oven, your pie will be ready much quicker so take a peek at around the 30-minute mark. You should also reduce the temperature by 35 degrees to prevent the pastry from browning before the filling has had enough time to heat through.

Make sure to place your pie (while still in its tray) on the internal rack instead of directly on the base of your air fryer. This allows the hot air to circulate underneath the pie, ensuring that the bottom develops a crisp surface and doesn't remain soggy or under-baked. An oven thermometer inserted into the center of your pie should read 165 degrees when it's fully cooked. Any leftovers can be reheated the next day in your air fryer too. Simply place them in an oven-friendly dish or aluminum tray and heat until bubbly (bear in mind that a smaller portion will reheat much faster than an entire pie).

Marie Callender's chicken pot pie was the runner-up in our list of 12 frozen chicken pot pie brands, ranked worst to best, making it a superb option for those nights when cooking from scratch feels like a chore. Baking it in an air fryer also saves time as these modern appliances are smaller and therefore heat up much faster than a large oven. If you have a larger air fryer with a second drawer, consider using it to cook the other elements of your meal, such as French fries or herbed carrots.